Broad and Narrow Visions of Security: Investigating the strategic discourse of selected...

Author: Agata Mazurkiewicz

After two years of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, European decision makers still emphasise the need to support Ukraine but also increasingly point out the risks of the current security environment to their home countries and the necessity for preparedness and enhanced resilience. In January 2024, Commanders of both Norwegian and Swedish Armed Forces have warned against the possible dangers coming from Russia. While the Norwegian gen. Eirik Kristofferson remarked on a window of opportunity of up to three years to “to prepare a strong national defence to be able to meet an uncertain and unpredictable world”, Swedish gen. Micael Byden urged the population to “mentally prepare” for war. Similarly, Germany’s Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius predicted that Russia’s attack against a NATO member state might happen in “a period of five to eight years”, while Polish Minister of Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz noted the need “to be ready for every scenario”. Statements like these bring understandable unease and sometimes outright fear in the populations of European countries which have enjoyed a nearly 80-year period of peace. Yet they are reflective of a significant change in the perception of the security environment, the very definition of security, as well as the desired ways of responding to threats and risks.

The purpose of this policy brief is therefore to trace the evolution of the understanding of what security is and how it can be achieved. In order to do that, the author analyses the strategic discourse of selected European states focusing on two factors: the broadness of the definition of security and the assignment of responsibility for security. Where available, two iterations of national security strategies will be taken under consideration – one from before 2014, as the benchmark year of Russia’s aggressive posture, as well as the most recent one. This allows for identifying changes in national discourses and provides grounds for recommendations.

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